KNOWING THE NAMERS - Cengage€¦ · NOUNS NOUNS 5 6 7 KNOWING THE NAMERS ... pal emphasis, however, will be on forming and spelling plural nouns, an area of confusion for many business

PRONOUNS ANDANTECEDENTS

PERSONALPRONOUNS

POSSESSIVENOUNS

NOUNS

5 6 75 6 7

KNOWING THE NAMERS

44

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48

44NOUNS

P R E T E S T

Underline any incorrectly spelled noun in the following sentences. Write the correct spelling in the space provided.

1. Several attornies requested tax write-offs for education expenses.

2. The two bottom shelfs contain business history books.

3. We’re considering two logoes for our new business stationery.

4. Both of our CPAs asked for leave of absences in June.

5. Based on all the criterion, several diagnoses were given.

L E V E L 3

• Recognize and use correctlyforeign plural nouns.

• Make special nouns andsingle-letter abbreviationsplural.

L E V E L 2

• Spell challenging plural nounsending in y, o, and f.

• Form the plurals of proper nouns,surnames, compound nouns,numerals, letters, degrees,and abbreviations.

L E V E L 1

• Recognize four classes of nouns.

• Make regular and irregular nounsplural.

O B J E C T I V E S

When you have completed the materials in this chapter, you will be able to do the following:

1. attorneys 2. shelves 3. logos 4. leaves of absence 5. criteria or criterions

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NOUNS | CHAPTER 4 | 49

As you will recall from Chapter 2, nouns name persons, places, things, qualities,feelings, concepts, activities, and measures. In this chapter you’ll learn to distin-guish concrete from abstract nouns and common from proper nouns. The princi-pal emphasis, however, will be on forming and spelling plural nouns, an area ofconfusion for many business writers.

Beginning with this chapter, concepts are presented in levels, progressing frombasic, frequently used concepts at Level 1 to more complex and less frequentlyused concepts at Level 3. This unique separation of concepts has proved very ef-fective in helping students understand, retain, and apply the information taught inthis book.

CLASSES OF NOUNSAs the “namers” in our language, nouns perform an important function. They oftenserve as sentence subjects. Although nouns can be grouped into many categories,this chapter focuses on four classes that are important to business writers: concrete,abstract, common, and proper nouns.

CONCRETE AND ABSTRACT NOUNSConcrete nouns name specific objects that you can actually see, hear, feel, taste, orsmell. Abstract nouns name qualities and concepts. Because concrete nouns areprecise, they are more forceful in writing and talking than abstract nouns.

Concrete Nouns

bagel horse refrigerator

dentist laptop software

dictionary quarterback stapler

Abstract Nouns

accuracy happiness success

ethics memory technology

freedom personality value

COMMON AND PROPER NOUNSCommon nouns name generalized persons, places, and things. Because they aregeneral, common nouns are not capitalized. Proper nouns name specific persons,places, and things. They are always capitalized. Rules for capitalization are presentedin Chapter 17.

Common Nouns

candy magazine professor

company organization roller coaster

document photocopier television

Proper Nouns

Bill of Rights Big Dipper Sony television

Coca-Cola Company Jan Jardine United Nations

Forbes magazine Snickers candy bar Xerox machine

Successful jobapplicants filltheir résuméswith concreteexpressionsand quantifiable datarather than abstractions.Instead of Worked as labassistant, try Assisted over300 students and 25 facultymembers using Word, Excel,and Access in computer lab.

What are“count” and“noncount”nouns? Learnmore athttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslcount.html.

Remember, atyour GuffeyCompanionWeb site youwill find anupdated list of all URLsused as Hot Links.

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50 | UNIT 2 | CHAPTER 4 | NOUNS

BASIC PLURALSSingular nouns name one person, place, or thing. Plural nouns name two ormore. At Level 1 you will learn basic rules for forming plurals. At Level 2 you willlearn how to form the plurals of nouns that create spelling problems.

Plural of Regular NounsMost regular nouns, including both common and proper nouns, form the pluralwith the addition of s.

advantage, advantages issue, issues passenger, passengers

contract, contracts Juan, Juans password, passwords

house, houses Johnson, Johnsons vendor, vendors

Plural of Nouns Ending in s, x, z, ch, or shNouns ending in s, x, z, ch, or sh form the plural with the addition of es.

box, boxes business, businesses Sanchez, Sanchezes

brush, brushes dish, dishes virus, viruses

bunch, bunches fax, faxes BUT: quiz, quizzes

Plural of Irregular NounsIrregular nouns form the plural by changing the spelling of the word. Dictionariesshow the plural forms of irregular nouns, but you should be familiar with the mostcommon irregular noun plurals, such as the following:

child, children man, men tooth, teeth

foot, feet mouse, mice woman, women

Be careful not to use apostrophes (’) to form plural nouns. Reserve the apos-trophe to show possession. (Chapter 5 discusses possessive nouns in detail.)

Incorrect: Many basketball and football star’s earn big salary’s.

Correct: Many basketball and football stars earn big salaries.

In using plural words, do not confuse nouns with verbs (He saves [verb] hismoney in two safes [noun]). Be especially mindful of the following words:

Nouns Verbs

belief, beliefs believe, believes

leaf, leaves (foliage) leave, leaves (to depart)

loaf, loaves (of bread) loaf, loafs (to be idle)

proof, proofs prove, proves

Now complete the reinforcement exercises for Level 1 beginning on page 57.

A headlinein ExperienceLife maga-zine: “Oneof America’s

most celebrated chef’s givescredit where credit is due.”

From theDemocratand Chronicle[Rochester,New York]:

“Foremans and supervisorswill receive training.”

Nabiscointroduced anew productas TeddyGraham

Bearwich’s. Not long after,it quietly gave the box anew design and newname, T. G. Bearwiches.

Largeawning onPhiladelphiarestaurant:“Steak’s andHoagie’s”

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CHALLENGING NOUN PLURALSYour ability to spell certain challenging nouns can be greatly improved by study-ing the following rules and examples.

Common Nouns Ending in yCommon nouns ending in y form the plural in two ways.

a. When the y is preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), the plural is formed withthe addition of s only.

attorney, attorneys journey, journeys turkey, turkeys

delay, delays key, keys valley, valleys

b. When the y is preceded by a consonant (all letters other than vowels), theplural is formed by changing the y to ies.

city, cities country, countries luxury, luxuries

company, companies currency, currencies quality, qualities

Nouns Ending in f or feNouns ending in f or fe follow no standard rules in the formation of plurals. Studythe examples shown here, and use a dictionary when in doubt. When two formsare shown, the preferred appears first.

Add s Change to ves Both Forms Recognized

brief, briefs half, halves calves, calfs

belief, beliefs knife, knives dwarfs, dwarves

safe, safes leaf, leaves scarves, scarfs

staff, staffs shelf, shelves wharves, wharfs

sheriff, sheriffs wife, wives

Wolf, Wolfs wolf, wolves

Nouns Ending in oNouns ending in o may be made plural by adding s or es.

a. When the o is preceded by a vowel, the plural is formed by adding s only.

patio, patios radio, radios studio, studios

portfolio, portfolios ratio, ratios video, videos

b. When the o is preceded by a consonant, the plural is formed by adding s ores. Study the following examples and again use your dictionary whenever indoubt. When two forms are shown, the preferred one appears first.

ADD s ADD es Both Forms Recognized

auto, autos echo, echoes cargoes, cargos

logo, logos embargo, embargoes commandos, commandoes

memo, memos hero, heroes mosquitoes, mosquitos

photo, photos potato, potatoes tornadoes, tornados

Soto, Sotos tomato, tomatoes volcanos, volcanoes

typo, typos veto, vetoes zeros, zeroes

Icing on acake for anetworkparty cele-brating thethirtieth anniversary ofthe hit show Happy Days:“Happy Day’s.”

In an adver-tisement forAcceleratedSchools inColorado’sRocky Mountain News:“STUDENT’S DON’T HAVETO FAIL.”

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c. Musical terms ending in o always form the plural with the addition of s only.

alto, altos cello, cellos piano, pianos

banjo, banjos contralto, contraltos soprano, sopranos

Proper Nouns and SurnamesMost proper nouns form the plural by adding s or es ( January, Januarys) depend-ing on the ending of the noun. When making proper nouns and surnames (lastnames) plural, don’t change the original spelling of the word. Simply add s or es tothe end. Note that when the word the appears before a surname, the name isalways plural (the Kennedys).

a. Most proper nouns are made plural by adding s.

Awbrey, the Awbreys Germany, Germanys Leno, the Lenos

February, Februarys Holbrook, the Holbrooks Tiffany, Tiffanys

b. Proper nouns that end in s, x, z, ch, or sh are made plural by adding es.

Bush, the Bushes Max, Maxes Sanchez, the Sanchezes

Lynch, the Lynches Rodriguez, the Rodriguezes Williams, the Williamses

CompoundsCompound words and phrases are formed by combining words into single ex-pressions. Compounds may be written as single words, may be hyphenated, ormay appear as two words.

a. When written as single words, compound nouns form the plural by appro-priate changes in the final element.

bookshelf, bookshelves payroll, payrolls printout, printouts

footnote, footnotes photocopy, photocopies walkway, walkways

b. When written in hyphenated or open form, compounds form the plural byappropriate changes in the principal noun.

account payable, board of directors, mayor-elect,accounts payable boards of directors mayors-elect

attorney-at-law, editor in chief, mother-in-law,attorneys-at-law editors in chief mothers-in-law

bill of lading, leave of absence, runner-up,bills of lading leaves of absence runners-up

c. If the compound has no principal noun, the final element is made plural.

cure-all, no-show, start-up,cure-alls no-shows start-ups

go-between, run-in, trade-in,go-betweens run-ins trade-ins

know-it-all, show-off, write-up,know-it-alls show-offs write-ups

d. Some compound noun plurals have two recognized forms. In the followinglist, the preferred form is shown first.

attorney general: attorneys general, attorney generals

court-martial: courts-martial, court-martials

Advertise-ment forKimberlyWoodsApartment

Houses, San Jose [California]: “Make theJones Jealous.”

The San JoseMercury Newsprinted aphoto of aplaque

located on the StanfordUniversity campus thatreads “The Stanford’s pur-chased ‘the farm’ from theGordon’s in 1876.”

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cupful: cupfuls, cupsful

notary public: notaries public, notary publics

teaspoonful: teaspoonfuls, teaspoonsful

Numerals, Alphabet Letters, Isolated Words, and DegreesNumerals, alphabet letters, isolated words, and degrees are made plural by addings, es, or ’s. The trend is to use ’s only when necessary for clarity.

a. Numerals and uppercase letters (with the exception of A, I, M, and U )require only s in plural formation.

9s and 10s all Bs and Cs three Rs

2000s three Cs of credit W-2s and 1040s

b. Isolated words used as nouns are made plural with the addition of s or es,as needed for pronunciation.

ands, ifs, or buts pros and cons yeses and noes

ins and outs whys and wherefores (or yeses and nos)

c. Academic degrees are made plural with the addition of s. Notice that de-grees are written without periods or spaces. You’ll learn more about degreesand other abbreviations in Chapter 16.

AAs MBAs PhDs

BSs MDs RNs

d. Isolated lowercase letters and the capital letters A, I, M, and U require ’s forclarity.

A’s M’s p’s and q’s

AbbreviationsAbbreviations are usually made plural by adding s to the singular form.

bldg., bldgs. DVD, DVDs No., Nos.

CPA, CPAs FAQ, FAQs wk., wks.

dept., depts. mgr., mgrs. yr., yrs.

The singular and plural forms of abbreviations for units of measurement are, how-ever, often identical.

deg. (degree or degrees) in. (inch or inches)

ft. (foot or feet) oz. (ounce or ounces)

Some units of measurement have two plural forms.

lb. or lbs. qt. or qts. yd. or yds.

Now complete the reinforcement exercises for Level 2.


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FOREIGN NOUNS AND SPECIAL PLURALS Selected nouns borrowed from foreign languages and other special nouns requireyour attention because their plural forms can be confusing.

Nouns from Foreign LanguagesNouns borrowed from other languages may retain a foreign plural. A few, how-ever, have an Americanized plural form, shown in parentheses in the following list.Check your dictionary for the preferred form.

Singular Plural

alumna (feminine) alumnae (pronounced a-LUM-nee)

alumnus (masculine) alumni (pronounced a-LUM-ni)

analysis analyses

bacterium bacteria

basis bases

crisis crises

criterion criteria (or criterions)

curriculum curricula (or curriculums)

datum data*

diagnosis diagnoses

emphasis emphases

erratum errata

formula formulae (or formulas)

hypothesis hypotheses

medium media (or mediums)

memorandum memoranda (or memorandums)

parenthesis parentheses

phenomenon phenomena

stimulus stimuli

thesis theses

*See the discussion on page 55.

Special NounsSome nouns ending in s or es may normally be only singular or only plural inmeaning. Other special nouns may be considered either singular or plural inmeaning.

Languagepurists con-tend that theword data

can only be plural (thedata are). However, seethe Hotline Queries foranother view.

From TheJournal [BathCounty,Ohio] an-nouncing

honors for two femalegraduates: . . . the awardgoes “to an alumni whohas made a significantcontribution or givenextraordinary service.”

A headlinein the SanFranciscoChronicle:“Numbers

put face on a phenomena.”

You can prac-tice thesespecial nounsby using

them with the singularverb is or the plural verbare. For example, Geneticsis fascinating (singular);scissors are useful (plural).

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Usually Singular Usually Plural May be Singular or Plural

billiards clothes Chinese

dominos earnings corps

economics goods deer

genetics pliers headquarters

kudos proceeds politics

mathematics scissors series

mumps thanks species

news trousers statistics

Single-Letter AbbreviationsSelected single-letter abbreviations may be made plural by doubling the letter.

pp. (pages) See pp. 18–21. (That is, pages 18 through 21)

ff. (and following) See pp. 18 ff. (That is, page 18 and following pages)

Now complete the reinforcement exercises for Level 3.

A banner adfor Mother’sDay on theWeb site of aworldwideflorist service:“Thank’s Mom.”

A: Mice refers to both computer devices and rodents. However, some expertsprefer mouse devices, which is probably less confusing.

A: Over time usage changes. Writers found it simpler and more efficient to writethese abbreviations without periods. Who decides when to recognize languagechanges? Our guide is The Chicago Manual of Style. It no longer shows periods inacademic degrees (AA, BA, MBA, MD, PhD, and so on).

A: In forming the plurals of isolated words, the trend today is to add s and no apos-trophe. Thus, we have dos and don’ts. Formerly, apostrophes were used to makeisolated words plural. However, if no confusion results, make plurals by adding s only.

A: The word data is plural; the singular form is datum. Through frequent usage,however, data has recently become a collective noun. Collective nouns may besingular or plural depending on whether they are considered as one unit or as sepa-rate units. Therefore, data can be considered either singular or plural, depending onhow it is used. For example, These data are much different from those findings. Or,This data is conclusive.

A: Make the principal word plural, holes-in-one.

Q: What is the plural of com-puter mouse?

Q: What happened to theperiods in Ph.D. and M.D.?

Q: Could you help me spellthe plurals of do and don’t?

Q: One member of our staffconsistently corrects ouruse of the word data. He saysthe word is plural. Is it neversingular?

Q: As a sportswriter, I need toknow the plural of hole-in-one.


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A: No. The abbreviation for Frequently Asked Questions is FAQs, as you wrote it.Avoid using an apostrophe for plural forms.

A: Your best bet is to use the common noun restaurant after the proper noun;then make the common noun plural. For example, We visited several McDonald’srestaurants.

A: The plural form is pluses (or plusses) and minuses. For example, Consider all thepluses and minuses before you make a decision.

A: In your sentence use stationary, which means “not moving” or “permanent”(she exercises on a stationary bicycle). Stationery means “writing paper” (hisstationery has his address printed on it). You might be able to remember the wordstationery by associating envelopes with the e in stationery.

Q: In the sentence, Pleaseread our FAQs, does theabbreviation need anapostrophe?

Q: The company nameMcDonald’s is written withan ’s at the end. How would Imake this proper noun plural?

Q: Is there a plural form ofplus and minus?

Q: I don’t have a dictionaryhandy. Can you tell me whichword I should use in thissentence? A [stationary/stationery] wall will beinstalled.

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LEVEL 1Note: At the beginning of each level, a self-check exercise is provided so that you may immediately check yourunderstanding of the concepts in this chapter. Do not look at the answers until you have finished the exercise.Then compare your responses with the answers shown at the bottom of the page. If more than three of youranswers do not agree with those shown, reread the chapter before continuing with the other reinforcementexercises.

A. (Self-check) Write the plural forms of the singular nouns shown in parentheses.

Example: Several (fax) arrived this morning. faxes

1. Many organizations use software to protect their computers from (virus).

2. The cafeteria uses over a dozen (loaf) of bread every day.

3. Most toy manufacturers employ (child) to test their new products.

4. Wells Fargo has three (branch) in that neighborhood.

5. Tracy made two (batch) of chocolate chip cookies after school.

6. The condition will not change unless Congress passes a law with (tooth) in it.

7. One administrative assistant may serve six (boss).

8. Several (tax) were levied on the new property.

Check your answers below.

B. Correct any errors in the use of plural nouns in the following sentences by underlining the incorrect formand writing the correct form in the space provided. If the sentence is correct as it stands, write C.

Example: The advertising agency submitted several sketch of the design. sketches

1. After many delays, the heavy boxs were delivered.

2. Ryan placed all the dishs on the kitchen shelves carefully.

3. News dispatchs from Europe described four new tunnels through the Alps.

4. In the redevelopment zone, several new business’s will open this month.

5. We need to hire seven additional waiters and waitress’s.

6. Each employee received two free pass’s to the exhibit.

7. Mona Jackson purchased two different lens for her new camera.

8. She has three different account with her bank.


REINFORCEMENT EXERCISES

4

Want to explore more? Go to: http://www.thomsonedu.com/bcomm/guffey or Xtra!

1. viruses 2. loaves 3. children 4. branches 5. batches 6. teeth 7. bosses 8. taxes

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C. Write plural forms for the nouns listed.

1. employee 9. hunch

2. watch 10. goose

3. witness 11. bias

4. franchise 12. quiz

5. quota 13. service

6. rich 14. gas

7. foot 15. woman

8. glass 16. committee

LEVEL 2A. (Self-check) Provide the correct plural form of the words shown in parentheses.

1. One of our (attorney) was better prepared than the other.

2. Both (bill of lading) showed excessive shipping charges.

3. You’ll find the files for our past cases on the upper (shelf).

4. Small businesses can afford few administrative (luxury).

5. The (Williams) bought a vacation home in Maine.

6. Students had to show their (ID) before they were admitted.

7. Two (bailiff) are assigned to the courtroom.

8. Our organization is prepared to deal in foreign (currency).


B. Write the correct plural form of the singular expressions shown in parentheses.

1. What percentage of (CEO) are women?

2. The two (company) will merge in February.

3. We compared liquidity (ratio) of the two companies.

4. President Jared Kline wanted a manager with contemporary (belief).

5. The reunification of the two (Germany) occurred in 1990.

6. Graduates with (MBA) are earning higher salaries than ever before.

7. Do the (Wolf) subscribe to BusinessWeek?

8. Sales are increasing with all Pacific Rim (country).

9. Two of our publications managers were former (editor in chief).

10. Congress established the Small Business Administration in the (1950).

11. Computer users must distinguish between zeros and (O).

12. We will tabulate all (yes and no) before releasing the vote.



1. attorneys 2. bills of lading 3. shelves 4. luxuries 5. Williamses 6. IDs 7. bailiffs 8. currencies

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13. The two (board of directors) voted to begin merger negotiations.

14. President Lincoln had four (brother-in-law) serving in the Confederate Army.

15. At least two employees recently took (leave of absence).

C. Write plural forms for the nouns listed. Use a dictionary if you are unsure of the spelling.

1. balance of trade 11. cure-all

2. half 12. RN

3. bill of sale 13. C

4. IPO (initial 14. No.public offering)

15. governor-elect5. subsidiary

16. if6. TV

17. avocado7. Wednesday

18. RSVP8. liability

19. dept.9. Sanchez

20. q10. valley

D. Writing Exercise. Write sentences using the plural form of the nouns shown in parentheses.

1. (Alvarez)

2. (standby)

3. (do and don’t)

4. (portfolio)

5. (hero)

6. (witness)

7. (attorney)

8. (belief)



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LEVEL 3A. (Self-check) Select the correct plural form of the words shown in parentheses.

1. Moving lights and other (stimulus, stimuli) affect the human eye.

2. Black holes are but one of the (phenomenon, phenomena) of astronomy.

3. Numerous (crises, crisis) within education will only be worsened by budget cuts.

4. Fund raisers contacted all (alumnus, alumni) of Colorado State University.

5. The professor sent four (syllabus, syllabi) to the copy room.

6. You will find the index on (p., pp.) 116–120.

7. Experts presented conflicting (analysis, analyses) of the problem.

8. Economics (is, are) a subject studied by all business majors.


B. Write the correct plural form of the words shown in parentheses.

1. Researchers collected substantial (datum) to support their hypothesis.

2. The girls’ school will honor its illustrious (alumna).

3. References to video phones may be found on pp. 25 (and following pages).

4. Dr. Maria Damen used several (criterion) to judge the success of her experiment.

5. Page references are shown in (parenthesis).

6. Dr. Lynn Steffen requested information about two related (curriculum).

7. Galileo’s (hypothesis) about the solar system were rejected by his peers.

8. Our catalog shows marketing courses on (p.) 226–231.

9. Her disorder has resulted in several different (diagnosis).

10. Ratha Ramoo’s master’s and doctor’s (thesis) were both in the library.

C. Complete the following sentences, selecting the proper singular or plural verb to agree with the nouns.

1. Genetics (is, are) a dynamic field of study.

2. (Is, Are) the proceeds to be donated to charity?

3. Mumps (is, are) becoming a critical disease in some states.

4. Statistics (has, have) the highest failure rate of all courses offered at our college.

5. The proceeds from the Colorado lottery (go, goes) to improving the great outdoors.

6. (Was, Were) proper thanks given to you for your efforts?

7. Several Chinese (is, are) enrolled in this class.

8. Billiards (has, have) become a popular television sport.



1. stimuli 2. phenomena 3. crises 4. alumni 5. syllabi 6. pp. 7. analyses 8. is

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D. Skill Maximizer. To offer extra help in areas that cause hesitation for business and professional writers,we provide Skill Maximizers. In the following sentences underline any noun or noun-verb errors. Foreach sentence write a corrected form in the space provided. If a sentence is correct, write C in the space.

1. The Japanese are renowned for their advances in electronic’s and other technologies.

2. Many banks have installed multilingual ATMs to serve their customers.

3. Her goal is to earn all As this semester.

4. The huge number of inquirys resulting from the news announcement overwhelmed their two Web sites.

5. Although many stimulus are being studied, scientists have not yet determined an exact cause of the bacterial mysteries.

6. Unless the IRS proves that the Kellys owe federal taxs, no penalty can be assessed.

7. Both woman asked for leaves of absence during the week of June 7.

8. Tomatoes are grown to perfection in the interior vallies.

9. Our directory lists RN’s and MD’s separately.

10. Because economics are the primary concern, be sure your proposal outlines a careful budget for the entire project.

11. After numerous brushs with the law, Mark became a consultant to a security company.

12. The Chavez’s named three beneficiaries in their insurance policies.

13. Because of many glitches in our software, e-mail messages arrived in irregular batchs.

14. Despite the new flexible hours for Mondays through Thursdays, all employees must put in a full workday on Fridays.

15. The Martinezes discussed all the in’s and out’s of the transaction before signing the contract.

E. Hotline Review. In the space provided write the correct answer choice.

1. We offer the lowest prices in town for fully functional computer (preferred version)a. mouses b. mouse devices c. mice d. mices

2. Despite the manufacturer’s list of ____________, we managed to blow a fuse.a. dos and don’ts b. do’s and don’ts c. do’es and don’ts

3. Even though he was tired, he maintained a _____________ position.a. stationery b. stationary

4. Many artists’ works are featured on the free e-mail _____________ offered with Outlook Express.a. stationery b. stationary

5. For a fast answer to common questions about our Web site, please consult our ____________.a. FAQ’s b. FAQs



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OS

The following letter contains 25 intentional errors in spelling, proofreading, noun plurals, and sentence structure.When you replace a wordy phrase with one word, it counts as one correction. When you correct a comma splice,run-on, or fragment, the correction counts as two errors. Use proofreading marks to make the corrections here ORmake the corrections at the Guffey Companion Web Site at www.thomsonedu.com/bcomm/guffey.



FOREST COMMUNICATION SERVICES259 Elm Street, Suite 400Cambridge, MA 02124(617) [email protected]

April 12, 200x

Ms. Mary Lou Vasquez

Networking Voices

3540 Freeport Blvd.

Sacramento, CA 95822

Dear Ms. Vazquez:

We apreciate this opportunity to contribute to the magazine article. That you are writing

about Web conferencing for Networking Voices. My specialty here at Forest Communication

is conferening services for North America.

Online meetings are becoming more frequent. And more necessary. Many companys find

that such meetings save time and money. Participants can hold live, interactive meetings

and share documents and presentations. Without ever leaving their offics or homes. Web

and phone conferencing is simply more conveneint then having to attend meeting in

person. Nearly all Web conferencing providers offer a common set of user features that

increase productivity and collaborative sucess. Let me summarize a few of these features:

• Participant ID. This feature displays on your screen the name of all attendees and

indicates who are talking over the phone line.

• PowerPoints/Document Sharring. Presenters can show Web-based visuals and

describe them by talking on the telephone.

• Polling/Surveys. A virtual “show of hands” can speed consensus and shorten a meeting.

Because these conferencing polls are anonymous, they are less intimidating then those

taken in live meetings.

• Whiteboard. Just as in physical meetings, a whiteboard is handy for jotting down key

points and recording brain storming ideas.

• Archive. If requested, all content can be archived so that participants who could not

join can catch up as their schedule permit.

Web conferencing eliminates the need for traveling to meetings. Which is especially

effective for global teams and large groupes. If you would like a list of do’s and don’t’s for

Web conferencing, please call me at (617) 830-8701.

Cordially,

Anderson M. CopleyAnderson M. Copley

Director, Conferencing Services

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OSTTEST • POSTTEST • POSTTEST • POSTTEST • POSTTEST • POSTTEST • POSTTES

Many Web sites provide summaries of informationabout well-known companies. Some sites, such asYahoo Finance, allow you to see a capsule of infor-mation at no charge. For more extensive information,you must subscribe. You can find information such asa company’s addresses (Web and land), the names ofits current officers, its subsidiary locations, its prod-ucts, and its competition. You can even find out itsannual revenue and other financial information. Inthis short exercise you will search for informationabout the Coca-Cola Company.

Goal: To learn to search for company data on the Web.

1. With your Web browser on the screen, key thefollowing URL: http://biz.yahoo.com/i/. PressEnter.

2. Look over the Yahoo Finance Company Fundand Index home page. Find the Search box.

3. In the Search box, key Coca-Cola. ClickSearch.

4. Wait for the search results. When the SearchResults page is fully loaded, scroll down tofind the listing for the Coca-Cola Company.Click Profile to see a summary of companyinformation.

5. Scroll way down the page to see the Coca-Colasummary. Read about Coca-Cola’s main prod-ucts. What types of products does it sell? In whatyear was it founded? Where is it headquartered?

6. Print one page from the Business Summary. 7. Click the Key Statistics button at the bottom of

the description. What is Coca-Cola’s most recentgross profit? What is its percent of profit margin?

8. End your session by clicking the X in the upperright corner of your browser. Turn in all printedcopies or send an e-mail to your instructor sum-marizing what you learned.



1. knives 2. tomatoes 3. valleys 4. companies 5. attorneys

Underline any incorrectly spelled nouns. Write the correct form.

1. The children were warned to be careful of the sharp knifes.

2. Three bunches of red tomatos look ripe enough to eat.

3. Gray wolves are reported to live in the two vallies.

4. In the 2000s many companys will be seeking MBAs.

5. After several business crises, we hired two attornies.

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Documents

KNOWING THE NAMERS - Cengage€¦ · NOUNS NOUNS 5 6 7 KNOWING THE NAMERS ... pal emphasis, however, will be on forming and spelling plural nouns, an area of confusion for many business